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Shanghai Business School visits Wittenborg University in Apeldoorn

Wittenborg University was pleased to welcome a delegation from its Chinese partner institute, the Shanghai Business School who spent the day in Apeldoorn, visiting the campus as well as paying a visit to the City Hall of Apeldoorn, for discussions with the local government.

The Shanghai Business School delegation consisted of Mr. Chen Qiangzhang, Provost of Shanghai Business School, Mr. Fang Youlin, Director of the President’s Office, Mr.Wang Yunxi, Director of the Research Department,  Mrs. Feng Guozhen, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Management, and  Mr. Xiong Pingan, Deputy Dean of the Academic Affairs Office.

The visit kicked off yesterday with a presentation given by Shanghai Business School delegates regarding the very successful student exchange visit of a group of Wittenborg students to the campus in Shanghai, earlier this week. After a very positive evaluation by all students, teachers and staff concerned, in Apeldoorn and Shanghai, Wittenborg and SBS discussed the further development of the exchange programme, also with a view to teachers and students from Shanghai coming to the Netherlands.

After an extensive tour of the facilities at Wittenborg, within the Aventus Building, the delegation enjoyed a working lunch with Wittenborg University Directors Mr Peter Birdsall and Mrs Maggie Feng in the ROC student Brasserie, at which the future collaboration and partnership was discussed in detail.

Later, the Shanghai Business School delegation met with local government alderman Mr Johan Kruithof, and Policy Advisor Mr Victor Ledeboer. During the hour-long session, both parties explained their policies and ambitions with regard to the further development of higher education programmes, in relation to the Wittenborg University and Shanghai Business School partnership. Alderman Kruithof explained the facilitator’s role of local government in its support for Wittenborg, and was interested to know the relationship between the local government in Shanghai and the Shanghai Business School institute. He learned that whilst financial support to Universities such as Shanghai Business School is extensive, accreditation in China is also regulated at national level, just as in the Netherlands. Of course, with a population that is twice that of the whole Netherlands, Shanghai is able to play a much more decisive role in funding higher education than is the case of a Dutch city council.

The meetings were concluded with an exchange of small gifts and a warm welcome by the Shanghai Business School Provest, Chen Qiangzhang to Alderman Kruithof to visit Shanghai in the future.

Wittenborg will pay a return visit to Shanghai Business School during the summer.

WUP 20/6/2012

©WUAS Press 2012